Daulton Jefferies

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #7 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Shoulder injuries beset Jefferies’ final year of college at California in 2016 and Tommy John surgery wiped out nearly all of the ensuing two years of his professional career. He reached Double-A upon returning in 2019 and walked just nine batters in 79 total innings. He impressed the A’s at their alternate training site in 2020 and was in contention for their final starting rotation spot out of spring training in 2021, but ultimately spent most of the season with Triple-A Las Vegas. He dealt with both right biceps tendinitis and a right flexor strain in his elbow during the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Jefferies relies on his advanced command and throws a variety of fastballs. Both his four and two-seam heater sit in the 92-94 mph range and he’s comfortable throwing his cutter, which is a tick slower, to both righties and lefties. Jefferies can move his fastballs around the strike zone but doesn’t miss many bats with them. His best swing-and-miss offering is an upper-80s changeup with considerable horizontal break that tumbles away from lefthanders. He’s shown the ability to manipulate the changeup, sometimes getting it to behave more like a splitter. He has yet to land on a consistent breaking ball. He featured a slurvy low-80s pitch that generated an average amount of whiffs but he threw less than 15% of the time.
  
  The Future: If Jefferies can stay healthy, he profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter who can compete for innings in Oakland in 2022.
  
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #3 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 50. Changeup: 60. Control: 70.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Jefferies battled shoulder woes his final year in college, but the Athletics still drafted him 37th overall from California. He continued to struggle with injuries in pro ball and missed most of 2017 and 2018 after having Tommy John surgery. Jefferies rebounded with a dominant 2019 season that included 93 strikeouts against just nine walks as he rose to Double-A. He turned in an impressive summer at the alternate training site in 2020 and was rewarded with his first big league callup in mid September.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: An athletic but undersized righty, Jefferies boasts an impressive fastball/changeup combination and peppers the strike zone with plus command. His fastball sits 92-95 mph as a starter and 94-97 in short bursts, and he locates it deftly to both sides of the plate. Jefferies’ plus changeup is his jewel and can make hitters look foolish when it bottoms out. His breaking stuff is less refined—his average slider is sometimes mistaken for a cutter—but can play up because of his command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Building innings and maintaining health is the last step of Jefferies’ progression. He did that successfully at the alternate site in 2020 and should compete for a rotation spot in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #4 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: The Athletics drafted Jefferies from the University of California with the 37th overall pick in 2016, but Tommy John surgery limited him to just three appearances combined in 2017 and 2018. Jefferies returned to full health in 2019 and showed the A's exactly what they hoped to see. He logged a 3.42 ERA while advancing to Double-A Midland, with an eye-popping 93 strikeouts against just nine walks in 79 innings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jefferies has one of the most potent arsenals in the system and shows the ability to command all three of his pitches. His fastball sits 92-95 mph with cut life and plays up because of his command. He pairs his fastball with a potentially plus changeup in the upper 80s with two-seam dive and fade, and his tilting, upper-80s slider varies in length to take on cutter action and keep hitters unsure of how much it will break. Jefferies has a repeatable delivery and borderline elite control. His arm action, however, has rival evaluators concerned for his long-term health.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jefferies will continue to log innings and build durability in 2020. He'll begin at Triple-A Las Vegas and has a chance to see Oakland if his workload allows.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #17 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Dating back to his college days at California, Jefferies has typically been either effective or injured. A shoulder injury as a junior in 2016 cost him mound time but not standing in the draft--the Athletics took him 37th overall. Jefferies hasn't returned to game action since having Tommy John surgery in April 2017, essentially missing two complete seasons and logging just 20 pro innings in three years.
  
  Scouting Report: Teams overlooked Jefferies' 6-foot stature in the draft because of his high-level athleticism and track record with Team USA, and had he stayed healthy as a junior he could have been one of the top college pitchers selected. That athleticism helps him find the strike zone with three pitches. His quick arm produced 90-92 mph fastballs with a peak velocity of 96 mph when he was healthy. Jefferies' changeup bottoms out as it nears the plate, and opponents look foolish swinging at his arm speed. It can be a 70-grade pitch. His slider grades as below-average with more horizontal break than vertical. Control is a strong suit for Jefferies, but he used his rehab time to further improve his direction to the plate.
  
  The Future: Jefferies and James Kaprielian, former Pacific-12 Conference rivals, both had Tommy John around the same time and have spent 2017 and 2018 rehabbing together. They could both see time at Double-A Midland in 2019--health permitting.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #13 prospect in 2018
  After two April starts at high Class A Stockton in 2017, Jefferies had Tommy John surgery. The righthander definitely has a high ceiling, but the caveat is his injury history. He missed a good chunk of his junior season at Cal because of shoulder injury, but still got drafted 37th overall and received a $1.6 million bonus. When on the mound for the Golden Bears in 2016, Jefferies dealt. He went 7-0, 1.08 with 53 strikeouts and eight walks in 50 innings and limited hitters to a .185 average. Jefferies' fastball resides in the low- to mid-90s. He possesses superior command and an excellent changeup that has significant sink. Though their deliveries are much different, Jefferies, with his baby-face visage, slight build and all-around athletic ability, reminds some people of a young Tim Lincecum. Jefferies will still be rehabbing from his surgery at the outset of the 2018 season. When he does get cleared to pitch he'll likely head back to Stockton, about 60 miles from where he grew up in Atwater. If he can remain fully healthy, Jefferies has a decent shot to move quickly up the system, possibly as a closer if durability remains a problem.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #12 prospect in 2017
  The Northern California native was the third pitcher in five years drafted out of Buhach Colony High in Atwater. But like Brett Mooneyham (Stanford) and Dylan Floro (Cal State Fullerton), Jefferies went to college before going pro. He was expected to be one of the first pitchers off the board in the 2016 draft, but a shoulder injury sidelined him for eight weeks and pushed him down the board and to the A's at No. 37 overall. Not particularly big, Jefferies carries durability questions as he missed time as a sophomore as well. But he is a superb athlete with a quick arm and a plus changeup that bottoms out. At its best, it earns 70 grades. His fastball sits at 90-92 with good location, has touched 96 mph in the past, and he has a knack for the bottom of the strike zone. Scouts said his slider was below average at times and looks more like a cutter than slider. Jefferies draws comparisons from Jeremy Hellickson to Sonny Gray. If he stays healthy, he'll zoom through the system and could be an impact starter, but his durability track record is a major red flag.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #61 prospect in 2016 draft
  Jefferies was the third pitcher drafted in a five-year span out of NorCal's Buhach Colony High in Atwater, Calif. Like predecessors Brett Mooneyham (Stanford) and Dylan Floro (Cal State Fullerton), he went the college route, and the 6-foot, 180-pounder had emerged as one of the nation's top starters this spring, getting off to a 6-0, 1.29 start. He hasn't pitched since March due to a shoulder injury, which initially was reported as a calf strain, leading to some consternation from scouts. Jefferies has durability questions, as he missed time as a sophomore as well, though he pitched for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team last summer. Jefferies has shown 93-94 mph fastball velocity at his best but usually pitches with an average 90-92 mph fastball that he locates well, setting up his plus changeup that some scouts have flirting with 70 grades thanks to his good arm speed and the pitch's excellent action, with both sink and fade. Jefferies' slider is at least average, though it can get sweepy at times as well. His Cal team has missed his mound presence and his dominance.
• Ranked #228 prospect in 2013 draft
  Jefferies is an undersized righthander at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, but he can really pitch, going 10-1, 0.75 with 123 strikeouts and just 11 walks over 75 innings this spring. Jefferies sits in the 87-89 mph range and tops out at 93. He can move his fastball around the zone and has a chance for three plus pitches as he develops and fills out, mixing in a curveball and changeup. He knows what to expect at the next level because his brother Jake was a third-round pick of the Rays in 2008 and is in Triple-A in the Marlins organization. Daulton originally committed to Stanford before switching to California, and he's considered a difficult sign. Most teams say they will be content to let him prove himself in college, and he could significantly boost his stock after three years in the Golden Bears rotation.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Texas League #15 prospect in 2019
  Jefferies returned to the mound for his first extended action since having Tommy John surgery in April 2017. After beginning in the high Class A California League, Jefferies joined the Texas League in late April and made 26 appearances, often piggy-backing with another pitcher as he increased his workload. Jefferies showed plus control even after his extended, post-surgery layoff. He didn’t issue a single walk in his first eight TL appearances and overall posted a 72-to-7 strikeout-to-walk mark in 64 innings. Jefferies mainly uses an above-average, low- to mid-90s fastball that touches 95 mph and a plus, mid-80s changeup as a strong separator. Jefferies’ 86-88 mph slider is no more than average right now, sometimes acting more as a cutter than a true breaking ball. With three usable pitches and plus control, Jefferies just has to continue building his durability to remain a starter.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Shoulder injuries beset Jefferies’ final year of college at California in 2016 and Tommy John surgery wiped out nearly all of the ensuing two years of his professional career. He reached Double-A upon returning in 2019 and walked just nine batters in 79 total innings. He impressed the A’s at their alternate training site in 2020 and was in contention for their final starting rotation spot out of spring training in 2021, but ultimately spent most of the season with Triple-A Las Vegas. He dealt with both right biceps tendinitis and a right flexor strain in his elbow during the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Jefferies relies on his advanced command and throws a variety of fastballs. Both his four and two-seam heater sit in the 92-94 mph range and he’s comfortable throwing his cutter, which is a tick slower, to both righties and lefties. Jefferies can move his fastballs around the strike zone but doesn’t miss many bats with them. His best swing-and-miss offering is an upper-80s changeup with considerable horizontal break that tumbles away from lefthanders. He’s shown the ability to manipulate the changeup, sometimes getting it to behave more like a splitter. He has yet to land on a consistent breaking ball. He featured a slurvy low-80s pitch that generated an average amount of whiffs but he threw less than 15% of the time.
  
  The Future: If Jefferies can stay healthy, he profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter who can compete for innings in Oakland in 2022.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 50. Changeup: 60. Control: 70.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Jefferies battled shoulder woes his final year in college, but the Athletics still drafted him 37th overall from California. He continued to struggle with injuries in pro ball and missed most of 2017 and 2018 after having Tommy John surgery. Jefferies rebounded with a dominant 2019 season that included 93 strikeouts against just nine walks as he rose to Double-A. He turned in an impressive summer at the alternate training site in 2020 and was rewarded with his first big league callup in mid September.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: An athletic but undersized righty, Jefferies boasts an impressive fastball/changeup combination and peppers the strike zone with plus command. His fastball sits 92-95 mph as a starter and 94-97 in short bursts, and he locates it deftly to both sides of the plate. Jefferies' plus changeup is his jewel and can make hitters look foolish when it bottoms out. His breaking stuff is less refined—his average slider is sometimes mistaken for a cutter—but can play up because of his command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Building innings and maintaining health is the last step of Jefferies' progression. He did that successfully at the alternate site in 2020 and should compete for a rotation spot in 2021.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 50. Changeup: 60. Control: 70.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Jefferies battled shoulder woes his final year in college, but the Athletics still drafted him 37th overall from California. He continued to struggle with injuries in pro ball and missed most of 2017 and 2018 after having Tommy John surgery. Jefferies rebounded with a dominant 2019 season that included 93 strikeouts against just nine walks as he rose to Double-A. He turned in an impressive summer at the alternate training site in 2020 and was rewarded with his first big league callup in mid September.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: An athletic but undersized righty, Jefferies boasts an impressive fastball/changeup combination and peppers the strike zone with plus command. His fastball sits 92-95 mph as a starter and 94-97 in short bursts, and he locates it deftly to both sides of the plate. Jefferies’ plus changeup is his jewel and can make hitters look foolish when it bottoms out. His breaking stuff is less refined—his average slider is sometimes mistaken for a cutter—but can play up because of his command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Building innings and maintaining health is the last step of Jefferies’ progression. He did that successfully at the alternate site in 2020 and should compete for a rotation spot in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 50. Changeup: 60. Control: 70.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Jefferies battled shoulder woes his final year in college, but the Athletics still drafted him 37th overall from California. He continued to struggle with injuries in pro ball and missed most of 2017 and 2018 after having Tommy John surgery. Jefferies rebounded with a dominant 2019 season that included 93 strikeouts against just nine walks as he rose to Double-A. He turned in an impressive summer at the alternate training site in 2020 and was rewarded with his first big league callup in mid September.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: An athletic but undersized righty, Jefferies boasts an impressive fastball/changeup combination and peppers the strike zone with plus command. His fastball sits 92-95 mph as a starter and 94-97 in short bursts, and he locates it deftly to both sides of the plate. Jefferies’ plus changeup is his jewel and can make hitters look foolish when it bottoms out. His breaking stuff is less refined—his average slider is sometimes mistaken for a cutter—but can play up because of his command.
  
  THE FUTURE: Building innings and maintaining health is the last step of Jefferies’ progression. He did that successfully at the alternate site in 2020 and should compete for a rotation spot in 2021.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Athletics drafted Jefferies from the University of California with the 37th overall pick in 2016, but Tommy John surgery limited him to just three appearances combined in 2017 and 2018. Jefferies returned to full health in 2019 and showed the A’s exactly what they hoped to see. He logged a 3.42 ERA while advancing to Double-A Midland, with an eye-popping 93 strikeouts against just nine walks in 79 innings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jefferies has one of the most potent arsenals in the system and shows the ability to command all three of his pitches. His fastball sits 92-95 mph with cut life and plays up because of his command. He pairs his fastball with a potentially plus changeup in the upper 80s with two-seam dive and fade, and his tilting, upper-80s slider varies in length to take on cutter action and keep hitters unsure of how much it will break. Jefferies has a repeatable delivery and borderline elite control. His arm action, however, has rival evaluators concerned for his long-term health.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jefferies will continue to log innings and build durability in 2020. He’ll begin at Triple-A Las Vegas and has a chance to see Oakland if his workload allows.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The Athletics drafted Jefferies from the University of California with the 37th overall pick in 2016, but Tommy John surgery limited him to just three appearances combined in 2017 and 2018. Jefferies returned to full health in 2019 and showed the A's exactly what they hoped to see. He logged a 3.42 ERA while advancing to Double-A Midland, with an eye-popping 93 strikeouts against just nine walks in 79 innings.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jefferies has one of the most potent arsenals in the system and shows the ability to command all three of his pitches. His fastball sits 92-95 mph with cut life and plays up because of his command. He pairs his fastball with a potentially plus changeup in the upper 80s with two-seam dive and fade, and his tilting, upper-80s slider varies in length to take on cutter action and keep hitters unsure of how much it will break. Jefferies has a repeatable delivery and borderline elite control. His arm action, however, has rival evaluators concerned for his long-term health.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jefferies will continue to log innings and build durability in 2020. He'll begin at Triple-A Las Vegas and has a chance to see Oakland if his workload allows.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Jefferies returned to the mound for his first extended action since having Tommy John surgery in April 2017. After beginning in the high Class A California League, Jefferies joined the Texas League in late April and made 26 appearances, often piggy-backing with another pitcher as he increased his workload. Jefferies showed plus control even after his extended, post-surgery layoff. He didn’t issue a single walk in his first eight TL appearances and overall posted a 72-to-7 strikeout-to-walk mark in 64 innings. Jefferies mainly uses an above-average, low- to mid-90s fastball that touches 95 mph and a plus, mid-80s changeup as a strong separator. Jefferies’ 86-88 mph slider is no more than average right now, sometimes acting more as a cutter than a true breaking ball. With three usable pitches and plus control, Jefferies just has to continue building his durability to remain a starter.